Is Faceboook spinning out of control?
October 1st 2010 12:10
For years people have speculated that Facebook would use some of its incredible capacity to build its own phone, I’m talking about the much anticipated Facebook phone. Hints that such a project is in the works have popped up time and time again, but some interesting new one have emerged lately. Why would you like a Facebook Phone service? Industry experts are torn on the idea that Facebook is building a social networking phone to compete with industry leaders Google and Apple. Arrington’s Techcrunch ignited the blogosphere when it reported that Facebook was building a mobile OS and other software to host on a handset made by HTC or Motorola. It was one of the most interesting and intriguing story in the web.
The consensus is building that Facebook is building its own phone in an effort to create exclusive features for Facebook on mobile that it plan to sell in the future. If the Palo Alto based company pulls it off, that would be great, but in this day, it’s a kind of a crazy strategy or idea and that is fraught with risks. Those risky moves comes always with hundred of millions of dollars in engineering costs and could put company’s reputation at great risk. I really doubt it, Facebook Phone won’t work. The “Facebook Phone approach” is not a strange thing to us, Google has already tried this approach before with its HTC, remember the nexus one? Google designed the Android software and other application for the ill-fated Nexus one smartphone and failed. Despite of its huge formidable resources and global reach Google failed. Despite of it formidable resources and global reach Google failed. That approach has also tried by Facebook long time friend and investor Microsoft. The company’s Kin phone(image-by: HotCellularphone) was built to bridge the gap between the social world and mobile hardware but Kin failed. In the process it became crystal clear that a social phone won’t work period.
Why would a consumer want a Facebook branded phone when their existing phone already connects us seamlessly to their social networking? The consumer world don’t need, want or not asking for Facebook phone and there is no compelling technical reasons for Facebook to build its own phone. It will create only market confusion, if doesn’t help anyone. Some will just wonder why they should opt for its phone over its mobile apps. The result is devastating, a general confusion and worst of all it could wreak havoc on Facebook’s mobile strategy. Simply put this: mobile spaces aren’t Facebook specialty, and they never will be. Both iPhone and Android based mobile phone are still a force in the mobile space, it would be extremely difficult for Facebook to attract that much attention. Another one, the company has no hardware expertise, well it could build the software part and mobile OS (of course with the help of long time friend Microsoft) but what about the hardware part, expertise on mobile OS alone won’t work. Facebook should also focus on hardware part as the first move. It’s totally a ridiculous idea to build a Facebook phone, what exactly Facebook doing? Move into mobile space?
The risk is clear that this is not a business Facebook knows. Others said that we should just wait and see what will happen to Facebook phone. Who would have believed that either Google or Apple would succeed in the mobile market a few years ago? No one expect Apple entry into mobile space, it changed the entire mobile industry. Apple also dominates the mobile space for long time. Few companies can be all things; Google is one of the few companies in the tech world industry that can be all things to all customers, but Facebook isn’t. The social network is trying to move in the social space, well it’s extremely difficult for Facebook to make that transition, and the social network and mobile space are vastly different culture. Is Facebook spinning out of control?
The company has never really mastermind a platform. This kind of software is hard and really tough. Microsoft, along time Facebook friend and investor has by far the most experience with platforms, has been working for more than a decade with only mixed success on its Windows mobile platform for smart phones and wireless devices. Windows Mobile platform is now on decline. It’s a crazy thing! I’m not really convinced if Facebook can pull it off.
Technology and the web.
The consensus is building that Facebook is building its own phone in an effort to create exclusive features for Facebook on mobile that it plan to sell in the future. If the Palo Alto based company pulls it off, that would be great, but in this day, it’s a kind of a crazy strategy or idea and that is fraught with risks. Those risky moves comes always with hundred of millions of dollars in engineering costs and could put company’s reputation at great risk. I really doubt it, Facebook Phone won’t work. The “Facebook Phone approach” is not a strange thing to us, Google has already tried this approach before with its HTC, remember the nexus one? Google designed the Android software and other application for the ill-fated Nexus one smartphone and failed. Despite of its huge formidable resources and global reach Google failed. Despite of it formidable resources and global reach Google failed. That approach has also tried by Facebook long time friend and investor Microsoft. The company’s Kin phone(image-by: HotCellularphone) was built to bridge the gap between the social world and mobile hardware but Kin failed. In the process it became crystal clear that a social phone won’t work period.
Why would a consumer want a Facebook branded phone when their existing phone already connects us seamlessly to their social networking? The consumer world don’t need, want or not asking for Facebook phone and there is no compelling technical reasons for Facebook to build its own phone. It will create only market confusion, if doesn’t help anyone. Some will just wonder why they should opt for its phone over its mobile apps. The result is devastating, a general confusion and worst of all it could wreak havoc on Facebook’s mobile strategy. Simply put this: mobile spaces aren’t Facebook specialty, and they never will be. Both iPhone and Android based mobile phone are still a force in the mobile space, it would be extremely difficult for Facebook to attract that much attention. Another one, the company has no hardware expertise, well it could build the software part and mobile OS (of course with the help of long time friend Microsoft) but what about the hardware part, expertise on mobile OS alone won’t work. Facebook should also focus on hardware part as the first move. It’s totally a ridiculous idea to build a Facebook phone, what exactly Facebook doing? Move into mobile space?
The risk is clear that this is not a business Facebook knows. Others said that we should just wait and see what will happen to Facebook phone. Who would have believed that either Google or Apple would succeed in the mobile market a few years ago? No one expect Apple entry into mobile space, it changed the entire mobile industry. Apple also dominates the mobile space for long time. Few companies can be all things; Google is one of the few companies in the tech world industry that can be all things to all customers, but Facebook isn’t. The social network is trying to move in the social space, well it’s extremely difficult for Facebook to make that transition, and the social network and mobile space are vastly different culture. Is Facebook spinning out of control?
The company has never really mastermind a platform. This kind of software is hard and really tough. Microsoft, along time Facebook friend and investor has by far the most experience with platforms, has been working for more than a decade with only mixed success on its Windows mobile platform for smart phones and wireless devices. Windows Mobile platform is now on decline. It’s a crazy thing! I’m not really convinced if Facebook can pull it off.
Technology and the web.
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